I, too, want to be associated with the words of thanks to all our staff throughout the Oireachtas and wish them a happy break, not just away from us. I hope they actually get a break and take a bit of time for themselves. I agree with Senator Kyne on the All Island Strategic Rail Review, and the importance of that report being published. I appreciate and understand totally the issue with the lack of institutions in the North, but I think there is a willingness and understanding, right across the board, of the impor…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit agus roimh an mBille. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir Clonan as ucht an seal an Bille a phlé. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and commend and thank Senator Clonan on the introduction of this Bill, the opportunity to discuss it and the privilege of being able to co-sponsor it with Sinn Féin and other Opposition colleagues. I am quite angry about some of what I heard from Government Senators tonight. I will do my best to curtail that anger. We heard some Government Se…

Hear, hear.

Indeed.

Well done.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire agus roimh an reachtaíocht atá á plé againn inniu. Tréaslaím leis an Seanadóir Ní Bhaoighealláin as ucht an Bille atá os ár gcomhair um thráthnóna. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. As other colleagues across the House have done, I commend Senator Boylan and Brian Marron in her office on drafting and driving forward this important legislation. It is particularly stark when we hear some of the statistics we heard today during the course of this debate. I think we can all agree…

This evening in the Dáil, my Sinn Féin colleagues will move a motion calling on the Government to recommit to a 50% contribution to the redevelopment of the A5 road. Anyone who knows the north west or has to travel it knows how notorious and dangerous a stretch of road the A5 is. Tragically, the significant loss of life over several years on this road has devastated families and communities. The people behind the Enough is Enough campaign are to be hosted in Leinster House today. In this regard, I encourage colleag…

Hear, hear.

That is no bother. I need to get my steps up.

Ar dtús ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire Stáit. Gabhaim buíochas leis as an cheist seo a fhreagairt. He is aware of the subject of this Commencement matter. I am sure he is familiar with the level of frustration, anger and upset at the paywall on GAAGO pertaining to a range of matches, not least important matches such as the all-Ireland senior football championship quarter-finals that will take place this Saturday. Is this not, in essence, an increase to the licence fee by stealth? RTÉ is meant to be the …

I appreciate, as I have said in all of my remarks on this issue, that there are commercial issues at work here. I appreciate the remit which the Minister of State and indeed the line Minister have to operate within. I appreciate that the Minister of State has outlined quite a substantial piece of work that needs to be carried out and that we will not resolve the issue in a Commencement matter this morning. I think and hope we can agree on one principle, regardless of protected games, into which I would like to delv…

Ba mhaith liom ábhar amháin a lua. I want to raise a positive issue today. I congratulate Kilmainham Gaol on the illustrious accolade it has received as the No. 1 tourist destination in the State on TripAdvisor. It was also voted as one of the top tourist destinations in the world. We all know the important history of Kilmainham Gaol, not only in terms of the history it preserves and the stories it tells but also its own inspiring journey of its reclamation by volunteers who would not allow it to fall any further i…

Well said.

I join Senator Joe O'Reilly in welcoming his guests to the Gallery. Last week, I raised the now notorious legacy legislation that the British Government is pursuing full steam ahead, it seems, despite universal opposition and all of the legitimate concern expressed by victims and survivors, legal, academic and human rights stakeholders. I welcome the fact that last week, the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement issued a statement calling on the British Government to withdraw the legacy…

Was the neighbour called Clonan too?

Gabhaim buíochas a Chathaoirligh agus ba mhaith liom fáilte is fiche a chur roimh an gobharnóir agus í ar chuairt stairiúil chuig an Seanad inniu. I ask her not to worry; there are not too many more to go after me. I also welcome-----

-----the ambassador and all our visitors to the Gallery. Above all, it is right and appropriate that I extend the heartiest welcome to the Governor of what many consider Ireland's 33rd county - the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Through the Governor's politics, work and activism, she has come to represent a great value that Irish people know intimately, namely, that the citizen is sovereign. No matter citizens' background, identity, gender, sexual orientation, the language they speak or their political aspirations,…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following: “: - resolves that sections 2 to 4, 6 to 12, 14 and 17 of the Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 (No. 39 of 1998) shall continue in operation for the period beginning on 30th June, 2023 and ending on 29th June, 2024; and - calls on the Minister for Justice to bring forward legislation to give effect to the recommendations of the Independent Review Group as soon as possible.”.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. In 2002, the Hederman review into the Offences Against the State Acts was published. It made several key recommendations, including to repeal the existing Offences Against the State Acts and replace them with one single consolidated item of legislation, which should contain significant reforms of the Acts. The most recent review of the Acts, published last week, reflected the recommendations of the Hederman review. Twenty years have passed between the Hederman review an…

I move amendment No. 1:I move: To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following: “: - resolves that section 8 of the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009 (No. 32 of 2009) shall continue in operation for the period beginning on 30th June, 2023 and ending on 29th June, 2024; and - calls on the Minister for Justice to bring forward legislation to give effect to the recommendations of the Independent Review Group as soon as possible.”.